UCLA holds off Arizona, thanks to big game from Myles Jack

TUCSON, Ariz. >> There were demons here once. Over two coaching regimes and more than half a decade, UCLA had seen horrors at Arizona Stadium.

The Bruins had not left the Sonoran Desert victorious since 2003. These were their losing margins from 2005 to 2011: 38, 7, 14 and 36 points. The last of those included a brawl shortly before a 35-point halftime deficit — one of the nightmare games in school history.

Which is one of the benefits of youth, really. With 18 true freshmen already having seen the field this season, much of UCLA’s roster had no memory of those days.

Most important among them was Myles Jack, already a budding defensive star through the Bruins’ first eight games. By the end of the ninth — a 31-26 win — Jack somehow ended up as the team’s best running back.

In his collegiate debut on offense, he turned his six touches into 120 yards. With UCLA trying desperately to fend off a resilient Arizona squad, Jack raced down the sideline in the fourth quarter, scoring a 66-yard touchdown that bumped the Bruins’ lead to 31-19.

Oh, and he ended up with eight tackles and a fumble recovery, too.

“It’s remarkable, but it doesn’t surprise me,” head coach Jim Mora said. “I’ve been fortunate to know this young man since he was about 12 years old. I don’t think that anything he’s ever done or is going to do is gonna surprise me.”

At the start of the second half, Jack stood at the 20-yard line, swaying his hips as he awaited the Arizona kickoff. As the music blared out in front of a crowd of 51,531, his head bobbed and his shoulders dipped. No nerves here.

Weeks ago, Mora had said he would use Jack on offense at some point this season. The four-star recruit had also been a standout running back at Bellevue High. While racking up 21 sacks his senior season, he also averaged an astounding 19 yards per carry.

His moment came again Saturday, just three days after he took his first offensive reps in practice. Offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone had drummed up a package that featured Jack at tailback, along with two variations on his blockers: linebacker Jordan Zumwalt and defensive end Keenan Graham in one version, and defensive linemen Eddie Vanderdoes and Kenny Clark in the other.

In the second quarter, Jack’s first touch went for 29 yards.

“I was looking at the faces of the defensive players,” Graham said of the formation. “Some of them didn’t know what was going on. They didn’t know what to check to. They were overwhelmed.”

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Added Jack: “Whatever the team wants me to do, I’m with it.”

That drive — 16 plays, 90 yards — culminated with Brett Hundley’s 4-yard touchdown strike to Shaq Evans, but the momentum-shifting march was built on defensive players who switched over. Zumwalt had a 12-yard catch. In addition to the aforementioned names, senior defensive end Cassius Marsh and Brandon Willis, a converted lineman, were also featured.

Hundley finished the game with 227 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns, adding one more score on the ground with 56 rushing yards.

The Bruins (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12) kept control of their postseason destiny with the win, staying tied for second place in the Pac-12 South. Win out and they would earn a third straight berth in the Pac-12 championship game.

Arizona tailback Ka’Deem Carey had 149 yards and a touchdown, but fumbled as he tumbled over the goal line in the third quarter. Zumwalt forced it out, and Jack — of course — jumped all over it at the back of the end zone.

UCLA running back Damien Thigpen, who had his first start of the season, also coughed the ball up, but the Bruins held the Wildcats off in the red zone. Zumwalt flung quarterback B.J. Denker back, sacking him for a 6-yard loss. Arizona settled for Jake Smith’s 27-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 24-13.

Not long afterward, receiver Devin Lucien fumbled at the end of a 28-yard catch, and slammed the turf in frustration. After a replay, however, officials ruled him down.

B.J. Denker threw a pair of touchdowns to Nate Phillips in the fourth quarter to keep Arizona (6-3, 3-3) close, but cornerback Ishmael Adams picked him off with 1:57 left to seal the game.

As the Bruins finally walked off, Jack was more exhausted than ever before. He joked that he’d regretted showing this side of his game. Some teammates had teased him, saying he couldn’t he replicate his offensive feats at this level. Now, they won’t be able get enough.

Coaches had tried to rest him more during the game, but he declined.

“We were in a dogfight,” Jack said. “I didn’t want to be pulled out of that situation. I just wanted to keep playing.”

But on which side? The freshman said he prefers linebacker — he’d rather hit than be hit — but starting tailback Jordon James is still recovering from an ankle injury. Backup Paul Perkins was servicable with 56 yards on 16 touches. Damien Thigpen had 17 yards on eight carries.